The Palantiri Explained

Denethor's obsessive and despairing use of the Palantir is maybe the best literary depiction of doom-scrolling.

I like Sauron's angry palantir phonecall via Pippin in the books like he's chewing out an employee.

Re: the strength of Denethor: it is worth noting that when Denethor looks in the stone the last time, he knows where Frodo is with the Ring and he knows what the plan is (having been told by Faramir). Despite being in the process of losing his mind, Sauron does not learn of it. That, IMO, speaks to the strength of Denethor's will. As we are told in the appendix, he and Aragorn were appeared to be as alike as near kindred.

I've read LOTR a billion times, but never put together the timing between Pippin looking into the stone of Orthanc, and how Aragorn's using it so quickly after this actually was very important in tricking Sauron into thinking that Aragorn had conquered Isengard and must be the new possessor of the Ring. Such good writing on Tolkien's 's part!

I think Denethor's "fall" is probably a very sad one. I image that at one time he was a very exceptional leader. Boromir himself was an exceptional leader and so was Faramir.

The part where Gandalf first takes the palantir from Pippin is parodied hilariously in Bored of the Rings: "You can't eat it, so you have no use for it."

It's interesting that the Palantirs not only misguided Saruman and Denethor to give them a wrong idea about reality, they also critically misled Sauron himself.

3:20 palantiri “video calls” - now I can only see Aragorn vs Sauron’s battle as a frustrating Zoom call where both are fighting over the screen share function for their duelling PowerPoint presentations 😂

That Saruman thumbnail reminds me of: "And I say heeeeyeeeeyeeeeyeeye heeeeyeeeeyeee I SAID HEY.... WHAT'S GOING ON?" And I cannot un-see it now.

In Deep Greek is great. He's clearly super-knowledgeable about the source material, but more than that--he's thoughtful and insightful, almost philosophical.
Plus, he has a great voice and great delivery.

I love Tolkein how he was
"I dont know how it works!! Thats the end of it"
A pepsi later
"Fine, hand me a pen"

4:48 and here is me used to thinking that the Ring was unique in how it was impossible to be destroyed by any means but Mount Doom's innards. Now it seems that the Fellowship might have considered taking a whole shopping list of near-indestructible items to the Mount.

No fewer than 10 times while watching this video did I think to myself (and say out loud), "this is the best video on the Legendarium I've ever seen. Thank you for taking on and nailing the brief Robert, you're a sizable credit to the community!

I had no idea that the palantiri were directional as you describe - that's interesting. It always seemed to me that Galadriel's Mirror shared many of the properties of the palantiri: it could show things far off and at different times, so maybe that was similar 'technology' but based on a different principle. A video about that would be very interesting, could you consider making one?

Palantiri as a mirror, what a nice take on it! Another great video, please just keep doing it. Thanks!

Warning: Information sent over the Palantir network may be visible to other users.

I remember trying to figure out what happened to the seven stones by diving into all the Tolkien books at our library. There was no internet back then and certainly no video as comprehensive as this one!

If i was Aragon, I'd have my minions dredging the Anduin and in summer, the Ice Bay of Forochel, to try and recover any Palantrii that may just be sat awaiting recovery,. The Osgiliath stone was that large and heavy that it may not have rolled that far. In fact it might have been trapped by stonework which had already fallen into the Anduin.

Robert, I've been following your channel with enthusiasm for a couple of years now. Each time you release a new video, I am filled with a deep and profound feeling, a sublime sense of joy and comfort at being in the presence of something far greater than anything I have ever known in ordinary life (outside of a Church). There are many high-quality videos about Tolkien here on RUclips, along with several top-rate podcasts. But when you step up to the microphone, it is not just any voice, but a voice that speaks words of wonder and awe. Your writing is of a quality that I aspire to reach myself, the sort of elevated language that allows us to transcend the temporal into something higher. God bless you, Robert. May you continue to share your words with us for many years to come.

This was really well written. The conclusion is the best.

You should make a video about Tolkien's relationship to music. He uses music extensively in the Lord of the Rings

Doing a personal redux of LOTR (for the N+1th time). This is one of your best works. To paraphrase your last words in the video, the Palantiri are perhaps the finest literary devices in the canon. As objects of power, their limitations are reflected upon their users. This is a timeless trope throughout human experience. Anyway, your explication of the consequences of The Machine is brilliant.

A brilliantly written and spoken article, Robert.

Around the year 3000 Saruman used his Palentir and upon viewing discovered that not much had changed with men but Numinor was now underwater... Really makes you think

Beautifully recounted, beautifully observed. Bravo once again, Robert! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

I've probably said this before but I love that you use screenshots from Lord of the Rings Online. I geek out every time and think "Hey, I've been there!"

The Palantiri are even more interesting than I thought they would be.

Slightly off topic, but there's just something wonderful about hearing your voice when one of these videos pops up in my feed.
It's just warm and fun, like sitting down to listen to an elven historian recount long-past events.

Here is proof of how good a presenter you are 😊 I started my journey into Tolkien lore 1.5 weeks ago with only your videos, and now (70 videos & 3 live streams later) I am in the position to understand every piece of information and contextual reference used in this video 😊
Thank you for everything, Robert!! Thank you for being such a beautiful presenter of information ❤

Seemingly every thing, item, weapon, clothing, etc that exists in Tolkiens universe has a very deep and rich lore and that thought alone is insane given the density of his writings. Never ceases to blow my mind

True power comes from the hand who wields it.
Scrying stones that are actually mirrors - just another example of Tolkien's genius... 🤗
Thanks for another cracking video, sir! 👍
M 🦘🏏😎

@Indeepgeek Robert, You are such a gifted storyteller! It is remarkable really, the way you translate the literary works of Tolkien into an understandable and easy-to-listen-to story.
Really good work! I salute You! 🙏🏻👌🏻

1:01 - That's it!!! I couldn't put a word on it, but Tolkien describes magic in an indirect way.

Rewatching this after a yr made me remember that while growing up reading LoTR every yr w/out owning "Unfinished Tales".. I had always thought that Saruman's descent into evil was the result of Sauron influencing him through the Palantiri. I still wonder this to this day over 40 yrs later.

It's interesting how we see so many characters' interpretations of what they see in the Palantir are governed by what they fear. Sauron's greatest fear throughout the story is that someone with the strength to wield the Ring will manage to obtain it and then use it to challenge him. Saruman and Aragorn both fit that bill, so when Sauron sees things in the Palantir that could indicate one or the other of those two has the Ring, that's the conclusion he immediately leaps to. One could certainly imagine Sauron jumping to the same conclusion if he'd seen someone like Gandalf or Galadriel in the Palantir in similar circumstances.
Likewise, Denethor's greatest fear is that Gondor will be overwhelmed by the forces of Sauron, so even though he'd resisted despair and resisted Sauron's influence for so long, he finally gave in to that despair when he saw a vision that he could only interpret as Sauron's final reinforcements arriving (plus being in a very vulnerable state already with Boromir's death and Faramir's apparent death).

Excellent closing remarks regarding Tolkien using the palantiri as mirrors

11:42 Definitely not immediately as he becomes Steward. Gandalf makes the big implication that Denethor only looked in later with time as power of Mordor was growing rapidly.

Thank you, I was always a little confused by what powers these had. I always thought of them as communication devices but wondered if there was more to them.

I like how you have begun color coding the thumbnails depending on the genre

Excellent description of the capabilities & limitations of these items, good stuff.

Feanor destroying the hearts of men, elves and maiar with his inventions even towards the end of the world lends remarkable insight into what Tolkien was trying to achieve with his character. Even though all his descendants are dead, that will still not free middle earth from the impact of his achievements.

AWESOME video. Great to see what Denaethor was really going through

I would have written the Amazon LOTR show based around the Palantiri. They could have been a view into the goings on in Middle Earth at the time. A witness to events as it were.
I can see the camera zooming into one as we transition to a different part of middle Earth , as some new plot is delivered about current events.

Love how when Sauron is usin' one, it becomes a literal eye ball!

14:29
"Pippin not really knowing what he was doing, just.... being a Took"
Made me laugh out loud, haha.

making those tool as a mirror for the user rather than "just" what they were used at the surface level is ... genius
wow, the more I learn about Tolkien and his opera the more I'm in awe with such masterpiece

I needed to break up a rather dark video with things that were nice, and this helped. Thanks

Tolkien really seemed to hold such respect and dignity in his creative works, so much so that they took on a life of their own. And he even began treating them as if they were a real entity.

It’s great that so many things that just “happened” to occur were necessary for the Ring to be destroyed. I think this is one of the reasons the book resonates so deeply.

A great explanation,can’t help wondering
if ancient cultures had the equivalent
in their stone circles etc like
Calanais in the Hebrides!

Nice job relating the history of the palantiri and what became of them. Fascinating stuff.

Your analysis is ever so fascinating. Every episode continues to justify the name In Deep Geek. Thank you so much for hours of entertainment.

Another superior youtube video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Always make me want to break out my books and read again with the fresh perspective.

Just came across this channel. Watched the witch king perspective video and now this one. Holy cow. These are enthralling and just absolutely excellent to enjoy

Lovely visuals. LOTRO will always have a special place in my heart. Your voice is like a warm blanket.

When Frodo wearing the ring sat atop amon hen I always thought that Sauron was also using his palantari at the time, and it was how he was projecting out towards Frodo searching for him.

“He used them like a Mirror.” - Great closing statement for this video essay.👍

Thanks for this great text, as always! The final statement is powerful and rings quite nicely.

I really enjoy all of your LOTR content! Keep up the good work!

Thank you for this presentation. It was interesting, and beautifully narrated.

Arthedain was the last to fall.
Arthur Dayne was (probably) the last Kinsguard to fall at the Tower Of Joy.
A subtle reference from GRRM?

My interpretation of Saurons thoughts when he saw pippin
“Oh gods a Took on his way here!! Whatever will he break in my realm”

Excellent analysis and final conclusion: they're mirrors to what's in the heart and mind of the wielder. Great job!

Binging through your videos currently.
Love the calm pace, the little essays are neither too short nor too long and all the information is gathered either carefully and delivered coherently.
Keep it up, you reignited my passion for middle-earth! ✨🔥

This reminds me of The Internet. A tool intended for information and communication, subverted to evil purposes and vilified, and later acknowledged as simply a tool that you need to take care in using.

19:11 the seeing stones are more like a Mirror. Wow.

I still remember in a game 'battle for middle earth (i think?)' ... VGA graphics at best and a hell of a lot of walking... I found a palantir on the beach somewhere to the west by northwest of the shire.

I was recently trying to learn more about the Palantiri, and I could have sworn you made a video on them already haha. Glad to see this at such a perfect time!

….and The Dark Lord gazed with the palantir across the distance to Isengard and there he observed one of the hobbits described by the creature gollum. As quickly as the image cleared, it was snuffed out. “Damn Wi-Fi!” cried Sauron…..

Robert ..my only Brother's name..what a superb presentation! The writing your perfect 😊voice! Bravo! This is what I would expect😊 to hear..the voice in my head..while I read. Thank you.

The funny part, for me, is that I could almost imagine that Denethor DID see Aragorn on the ship, and it didn't give him the same hope as it would others. At least in certain iterations, Denethor saw Aragorn as a usurper; an unworthy end to his own rule, and the standing of his family. His father had already favored Strider, or at least Denethor may have thought so, and now his coming would end the line of the Stewards as certainly as and Morgul poison, for if Denethor was not the Steward, then what was he? I'm sure I'm reading more into it than there is, and maybe giving some movie elements credence over book points, but I really could see Denethor despairing at the coming of Aragorn, and Sauron reveling in his dismay, for sometimes the truth really is the greatest weapon.

Every time i watch one of these videos, i feel like i get immersed even deeper into these worlds of fantasy, and its a wonderful thing.
Thank you for your dedication to helping these fine details come to life for us!

The fact that Saruman fell to using a device beyond his power to create is really a nice warning re: the internet, smartphones, RUclips, etc. If you don't understand things like recommendation algorithms and code designed to serve up certain sorts of things, you'll not understand that things are being done TO you ... or that web and app developers without any direction are just letting all sorts of things overflow upon the world.

The image of the burning hands forever seen in the palantir is chilling - beautiful

I’ve been waiting for this one a long time! The ultimate fantasy McGuffin.

something a friend of mine, who was not that versed in LOTR mythology actually told me something that amazed me and I hold true till this day.
In Greek Myth of Theseus is reflected here. In the Myth, Theseus is asked by his Father Aigeus to set white sails if he succeeds on his quest, and black sails for his death. After fighting the Minotaur, the joy over the victory makes him forget to set white sails and his father, believing his son to be dead, ends his life.
In LOTR, Aragorn uses enemy ships to ferry reinforcements to Minas Tirith, but he does not wave his Banner (which Arwen had made for him). So Sauron can easily trick Denethor into thinking bad things are coming. And as stated in this video, thats the final stroke for Denethors Sanity, along with a Son be believes dead.
no coincidence

I love that Palantir = Looks far away
and Tele = Far off, Vision = Sight

I first read the lord of the rings when I was 7 and the silmarillion when i was 9 ( I did not understand it). I have been a life long fan of all things middle earth. Thanks for your videos I am now 41 and I still learn new things from your videos all the time!

At the timestamp of the video being 15:40, it came to mind that I would love to hear of any D&D campaign that took place in Middle Earth. Any with a good campaign and a good story, need only post as a comment. I'd love to read through them.

Listening to this is close to poetry. Both insightful and beautifully written. I listen to many things on here without stating my appreciation. I'm taking this moment to stop work and tell you that you have created your legacy in these videos

A small, interesting, and probably intentional parallel between the story of denethor and Theseus slaying the Minotaur.
Theseus forgot to change the color of his sails, causing his father to self delete because he thought Theseus had died, denethor believed that all was lost because Aragorn kept the Black Sails instead of changing them.

Brilliant insights as always. You make me want to re-read the trilogy again for the umpteenth time to see it through the new perspective you give us.

another theme of these is that knowledge doesn't necessarily equal power because no matter how much you know you can always be misunderstanding reality due to what you don't.
you don't know what you don't know. so assuming that everything is doomed or assuming that you're in a strong position because of the things that you know, you can't let that motivate you to take really extreme actions because you don't necessarily have the full picture

These videos are wonderful. You give a fascinating deeper insight into the plot of the LOTR, and they have given me a great appreciation of the intricate planning that Tolkien put into the story. Thanks!

9:20 "...led to a succession crisis..." [image of Christian Rivers LOTR storyboard artist cameo as the Beacon Lighter in Two Towers.] Lol.

I tend to think that "The Eye of Sauron" represented the Ithil stone in his posession. With a will as strong as Sauron's he could well have bent it to see whatever he wanted.

Woot, been waiting for this. Thanks for all the hard work!

LOL I just finished listening to your old livestream regarding Dragonstone and King's Landing... hit refresh on RUclips and here you are with a new video at the top of my feed haha. Thanks for all the content!

“Just being took” killed me

The master seeing stones can actually be rotated in place for seeing without standing on the opposite side, but you'd need strength or machinery to rotate something of the size.

I think this is one of your best videos. Very well done!

"It is not for you, Saruman! I will send for it at once. Do you understand? Say just that!"
I must confess, I would have liked to see a Sauron-possessed Pippin in the movie. Crying out in fear and paranoia.

It doesn’t just video chat?

sounds like it was actually a good thing the big palantir was gone. it might have let Sauron see the shire over the mountains. the smaller baradur one probably was not strong enough to see that far, part of why he couldn't find the shire.

I'm finding your analysis, review, and comments to be good, insightful, interesting.

Fantastic video! I had no idea about any of this and this showed me even further depth to the wonderful story of lotr. Thank you! ❤

"Meanwhile, in Gondor, things were also not going quite so well." The Decline of Gondor in a nutshell.

Huh, who’d have thunk it: a tool that is, in and of itself, neither evil nor good-rather, it is the person who wields the tool and his/her actions that are moral or immoral.

I love how much LOTRO content you've been using recently here! It's definitely great having a graphical resource for so many varied and diverse lesser-known spots of Middle Earth...

Fantastic presentation. Always a pleasure to have one of your videos!